21+ Best Online Legit Paid Focus groups in 2023|Make over 400/hr

Suppose you have definite opinions on certain products, politics, or other commodities and wish to be compensated. In that case, you should participate in legit paid focus groups to share your opinions and earn $400 an hour and more.

Large and small companies employ research firms to study the trends which could improve their business plans. Research companies, in turn, gather focus groups and information from real people like you about services and products.

In this writing, we shall discuss extensively the best online legit paid focus groups that can earn you up to $400 an hour and everything you need to know about legit paid focus groups.

What is a Paid Focus group?

A focus group is a market research method in which 6 to 10 people come together to provide feedback on a product, service, concept, or marketing campaign.

Focus group participants are recruited based on their purchasing history, demographics, psychography, or behavior and typically do not know each other.

Paid focus groups are a date-driven form of market research like surveys; the main aim is to gather opinions and statistics to predict trends, improve products or develop new ones.

Paid focus groups work in person (you need to appear in a specific location) and online.

What do Focus groups do?

Focus groups participants engage in the following activities in the course of their work;

  • They are usually used for market research for new or existing products to determine people’s attitudes towards particular brands, usability, packaging, or ideas.
  • They can also be used for political campaigns and opinion polls. You can think of paid focus groups as much more in-depth surveys.
  • Typically, you must give opinions and answer questions on a specific topic, grab a free coffee, and go home with an extra $ 50 to $ 150 in your pocket!
  • More and more companies are using paid research studies to better understand the market and trends and connect with consumers locally and worldwide.

How do Focus Groups work?

In-Person

If you can find a private focus group near you, you will be expected to attend the in-person interview. You will usually be interviewed in a group where everyone can talk to one another.

Usually, there is a researcher or facilitator who leads the group, takes notes, asks questions, and records the results.

When you join a personal focus group, you may have to attend more than one session, but you get paid for every session you attend.

Online

An online focus group is very similar to a personal focus group. You have to participate online via chat, on your tablet, or smartphone.

You will usually receive a link allowing you to access the focus group. From there, you can join the discussion and provide your feedback.

Some online focus groups also use videos or specific web-based software. You must download the software prior to your focus group research.

More research studies are now opting for online focus groups because they are much cheaper for them: you can spend less money on materials and personnel, and it is much easier to find a larger pool of potential participants in the research study.

How do online focus groups work?

Online focus groups work via conference calls or, more often, group video chat to closely mimic the in-person experience.

A moderator leads the group discussion, and participants can tune in using their webcam, computer microphone, or phone line.

How long should a focus group last?

Focus groups usually last around 60 to 90 minutes. A focus group that is longer than 90 minutes is likely to have too many questions or topics to discuss. The focus group must be suitable for the type of participants.

How much can you make in paid focus groups?

Each focus group is different, but you can expect to make $30 to $150 per focus group (although some particular focus groups can pay up to $450 for an hour of your time!).

The amount you will receive depends on the time you’ve spent, usually an hour or two.

Typically, you will be paid in cash, PayPal, check, or gift card. Some research companies pay with points that you can redeem with a specific credit card.

Make sure you know exactly how to get your money before agreeing to attend a focus group.

Best Online legit Paid Focus groups

Here are the best Online legit paid focus groups that will pay you for participating in the focus group.

As we stated earlier, most do not pay in cash but with gift cards and other redeemable items.

Survey Junkie

Most Popular Legitimate Online Platform for Making Extra Money by Completing Online Surveys.

The only thing to remember is that Survey Junkie pays you not in cash but in points that can be redeemed in gift cards. But the whole experience is pretty simple and straightforward.

Survey Junkie is mainly a survey company. You can earn anywhere from $0.5 to $5 on their surveys (although the average is likely between $1 and $1.50). Once you sign up, you can sign up for some great focus groups and studies.

Survey Junkie Offers:

Product Trials: Up to $50 – Get a Free Product to Try and Get Paid! All you need to do is complete an online survey after using it.

Personal Focus Groups: up to $150 – If selected after an initial online survey, you’ll need to attend a private focus group in a location near you.

Phone Survey: Up to $100 – You will answer market research questions with one phone call.

Pay: $2-75 equivalent per survey

User Interviews

User interviews were previously only available in the US or Canada. But they have recently opened international studies and are adding more and more research studies.

The type of incentive and amount are shown before you select a study so you can consider the payment method before applying.

The good thing about user interviews is that their studies are very diverse, covering a range of topics: technology, food, consumer products, family, software, hobbies, pets, sports, transportation, beauty, social media, music, whatever you call it.

They become part of the conversation as new products, apps, websites, etc., are created to share their unique perspectives so teams can do better things.

Pay: $10-100 per survey

Ipsos i-say

Ipsos is the world’s third largest survey-based research company, and its consumer survey platform accepts people from all over the world.

It’s a survey site offers various rewards for your time and opinion, from cash payments to merchandise, gift cards, and even charities.

Most of the deals available here are for small surveys, which can only earn you $0.40 to $1.50 per survey. However, from time to time, they offer high-end surveys and focus groups that pay $50 to $100 for an hour of your time.

They also have a mobile app that allows you to take surveys on the go.

Completing a survey or focus group will earn you points instead of cash. The points vary depending on the length of the survey. You can redeem your points when you have at least 500 in your account.

Pay: $50-100 per hour

FocusGroup.com

FocusGroup.com offers both in-person and online focus groups in the United States. You can see how much you can pay under “available studies.” Most studies pay between $70 and $250.

Most of the research studies you find interesting are likely to be on consumer topics, including:

  • Child-related products
  • Cell phones
  • To eat out
  • Pets
  • Cars
  • Entertainment
  • Electronics
  • Sports

But you also deal with business-specific and medical topics. Your payment methods are different for each research study. Make sure to check that you are happy with the payment method before applying.

Pay: $75-150 per survey

Respondent.io

A respondent is an excellent option for in-person and online focus group studies. Their payout is great, up to $150 per research, sometimes more, and they accept respondents worldwide.

Respondent.io has projects that are available to both US citizens and international citizens. This means you don’t have to be in the US to become a member and earn anywhere from $50 to $250 per research.

All you need to do is join a PayPal account and either Facebook or LinkedIn to connect to your profile.

Pay: $150 per hour

Google Usability

A poll straight from Google. Yes! That’s a real thing. You can join Google User Research to share your experience. Once you complete the survey, you will receive a gift card or you can donate the money to a charity.

So, it’s a little bit tricky, you won’t get rich with it, but it is a great and safe way to check out what an online focus group is.

Pay: $75 per hour

Recruit and Field

Recruit and Field is a national market research company that conducts in-person and online surveys.

They offer nationwide online studies in the US as well as focus groups in various locations and are looking for participants of all genders and ages to study, including professionals and medical professionals (doctor, nurse, laboratory technician).

Pay: $100-$275 per study

American Consumer Opinion

American Consumer Opinion is a large US people survey company with over 7 million users. Signing up is free, and you can receive money in two ways: PayPal or a check.

It usually doesn’t pay very much to earn between $0.05 and $0.50 on short surveys. However, if you are selected for longer market research surveys, you can make up to $50.

You will earn points for every survey you take. One point equals 1 penny. When you reach $10.00, you can claim your money.

It’s a highly rated and legitimate company that pays in exchange for an opinion.

Pay: up to $50 per survey

Survey Feeds

Survey Feeds is a website that collects the highest-paid research opportunities. Some of them are set offline and offer great rewards, others are done online and still, pay you reasonable amounts of money.

Survey Feeds is based in the US and has opportunities in many US cities (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, to name a few) and online. You can earn anywhere from $50 to $475.

Survey Feeds Specialized in:

  • Personal studies
  • Individual interviews
  • Focus groups
  • Clinical research studies
  • Online studies
  • Web conferencing
  • Online surveys
  • Telephone interviews

Your Facebook page is updated quite often with great market research opportunities.

Pay: Up to $2,000 per study offline and up to $300 per study online

20|20 Panel

20|20 panel offers market research. Their online studies come from a variety of industries, and local studies are available in some markets (Charlotte, Miami, and Nashville). They’re well-rated; you can make anywhere from $50 to $2500.

They use their Facebook page to post pre-qualifying surveys or to send them via email. You will be followed up if you qualify and provide the details of the study.

Pay: $5-2500 per survey

Mindswarms

Mindswarms is a global polling panel that collects data in the form of videos. When you are comfortable, contact Mindswarms and record responses to a selected survey.

Mindswarms is pretty unique in that it gives you $50 for answering seven questions about a product or service, or $10 for answering 1 question.

If you are invited to a survey, you will be asked to answer up to 7 questions using the video function on your smartphone, tablet or webcam. It takes less than 10 minutes to record your answers.

Then you will be automatically paid through PayPal 24 hours after you post your answers to a study.

Pay: $50 per study

Inspired Opinions

Inspired Opinions is a data collection company that works with world-renowned brands. Attending one of their focus groups can earn anywhere from $50 to $250.

They use an opinion reward point system. And you must reach 1,000 ($10) before you can redeem points for gift cards.

When they find a study that fits your profile, they will contact you either by email or phone to see if you qualify.

You can then participate in research studies in several ways:

  • In person at one of their 16 offices in the USA
  • On the phone
  • Online from a computer anywhere in the world

Pay: $5-100 per survey

Engage Studies

It is a research firm that works with companies, individuals, and institutions.

It specializes in consumer and healthcare market research studies (you’ll need to choose one when subscribing) and they pay anywhere from $50 to $250.

Pay: $5-250 per survey

MySurvey/LifePoints

While this website only offers focus group activities occasionally, it is definitely worth signing up for the website to check out their offerings. That’s because they pay very well for them.

Most of the groups here take several days to finish, but they pay a lot of time to do it. The site also pays up to $ 5 per survey, so you can make some extra cash while you wait for a group offer to come out.

Pay: $5 per survey

Toluna

While you can make around $10 to $30 for Toluna’s surveys, they also offer focus group activities you can pay for.

After completing a survey, you have the option to be invited to their groups if your profile information matches a group study qualification.

Toluna also works with a point system. Some focus groups can be worth over 50,000 points, which is worth a ton of money when you pay off your rewards.

They also have a mobile app: iOSGoogle Play

Pay: $10-30 per survey

Experience Dynamics

Experience Dynamics specializes in user experience and testing of user interfaces (UX and UI). Corporate customers pay them to “make their users smile,” They turn around and pay people like you to provide honest feedback on website designs and software applications.

According to the website, they are recruiting testers worldwide with all levels of technology experience. Most studies pay between $ 50 and $ 150.

Experience Dynamics also makes it easy to:

  • Field studies, 1-2-hour interviews at your home or at work.
  • Diary studies where you can record your thoughts for 1-2 weeks.
  • Telephone interviews
  • Online focus groups
  • Online surveys

A user research panel to study user experience including user testing, user research, interaction design, and visual design.

Pay: $50-150 per study

VIP Voice

This company works with startups and Fortune 500 companies to provide user-based market research. This means that paid users like you provide any information they give to businesses.

They offer short and long group studies. While the short groups only pay in pocket money, some of the more extended groups pay up to $ 100 each.

Pay: $100

Fieldwork

Fieldwork allowances for attending a focus group start at $ 75, and their focus groups typically last one to two hours.

However, if you don’t live near any of these locations, you can still apply to join the national database. You usually pay with Visa gift cards but do check before applying for a focus group.

Pay: $75

Probe Market Research

Probe Research is a US-based research company and is constantly hosting focus groups to get feedback on customers’ new advertising campaigns, products, or services.

Consumers, health professionals, and senior executives are in demand for Probe Market Research’s panels.

Major manufacturers and brands commission Probe and its partners to conduct online surveys, mystery shopping appearances, mock juries, product tests, and more.

Focus groups typically pay anywhere from $50 to $400. In some cases, you may not even have to leave your home.

The interviews are conducted in groups, over the phone, or online – depending on the time allocated to that particular study.

Pay: $50-400 per survey

Brand Institute

The Brand Institute is looking for participants from all over the world to take part in pharmaceutical and market research.

This company works primarily with the healthcare and other medical industries. So, if you have a background in dealing with these industries or work in the medical industry, this might be the perfect place to sign up.

Most focus group material is devoted to brand names, tag lines, concept tests, and more.

All you have to do is register your details and answer a few simple questions. Ensure your account is as current as possible, and you will be contacted if you qualify for a study.

Pay: $50-$300

Plaza Research

Plaza Research has locations in 14 US cities. It specializes in personal focus groups and pays $ 50 to $ 200 to group participants.

Focus groups usually take place both during the day and in the evening. It will require you to try a new product, preview a TV commercial, or talk about future products.

You can earn anywhere from $ 50 to $ 200 for a two-hour session.

Pay: $50-$200

WatchLab

WatchLab has a disgustingly inadequate website, but they claim to allow all kinds of focus groups, usability tests, interviews, mock juries, and more.

Payment will vary based on research and maybe in the form of gift cards or cash. WatchLab has locations in San Francisco and Chicago and online options.

For private focus groups that you pay locally, the online search can take 4-6 weeks.

WatchLab has online focus groups, in-person research studies, and in-home studies. You can check their Facebook page to see which focus groups they offer.

You can earn anywhere from $50 to $200 for a study (the US only).

How to Find Legitimate Focus Groups

Whether you are looking for online focus groups or personal focus groups in your area, you need to be a little patient as you will have to go through a screening process before you can participate in a research study.

Consumer research firms usually look for people with very specific interests and profiles, and you may not always qualify.

By joining as many companies as possible, you can maximize your chances of qualifying for as many focus groups as possible.

Before signing up, take a few minutes to review the company and make sure it is legitimate. The last thing you want is to waste your time getting scammed online!

Read all of the fine print and check out their Facebook pages to find out what kind of reviews they get. As with all survey companies, you will never find a 5-star rating! Some people will love them; others will hate them.

Conclusion

While online focus groups are likely to not pay all of your bills, you can still make pocket money with them. Remember not to take on too many that you can’t handle.

If you do poorly on one focus group, you may not be selected to do another with that particular company. However, if you do a good job, you will likely be chosen for even more in the future.

Doing market research is an excellent side-line if you want to share your thoughts on products or trends. Let me know what you think about online paid focus groups in the comments.

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